A diet composed primarily of fruits, vegetables, and whole foods is not only good for the planet, but it’s also good for your health.
“Planet Healthy Eating (YES) Designed by EAT-Lancet Commissiontrying to see how we can design dietary patterns globally that meet people’s nutritional needs,” said Maya WadiveluAssociate Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of Rhode Island.
“But also address the increasing proportion of animal-based foods we’re seeing and how (production) leads to greenhouse gas emissions and other markers that can have adverse effects on the health of the planet.”
recent study An article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who followed a planetary health diet had a 30% lower risk of premature death compared to people who did not follow a planetary health diet.
Whole-food, plant-based diets like the Earth Health Diet “tend to be very nutrient-dense, so they end up being great sources of antioxidants and macro- and micronutrients that are ideal for the body,” Wadivelu said.
People who followed this diet also contributed 29% less to greenhouse gas emissions, the study found.
“A cow produces 154 to 264 pounds of methane gas per year,” according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency reports that this number only increases exponentially when you consider that 1.5 billion cattle are dedicated to meat production, meaning that cattle meat production alone is responsible for at least 231 billion pounds of methane emissions entering the atmosphere .
How does the Earth Health Diet compare to other diets?
But how does the Planet Health Diet differ from other popular eating patterns like the Mediterranean diet or the heart-healthy DASH diet?
“The fundamentals between these patterns are similar. They’re higher in whole fruits and vegetables, which is really the key to almost all heart-healthy patterns, as well as whole grains, nuts and seeds,” Vadiveloo said.
However, there are some differences between eating habits.
Vadiveloo noted that the DASH diet “allows for higher intakes of animal foods, including low-fat, dairy and poultry. And intakes may be higher than the Earth Health Diet because it’s not specifically geared toward Earth Health.”
She adds that the Planetary Health Diet also limits total fat consumption more than the DASH diet.
In general, the Mediterranean diet does not emphasize dairy, Wadivelu said. Popular diets focus more on unsaturated fat ingredients like olive oil and fish than on earth-healthy diets.
“The other thing that’s consistent is that across all of these models, Mediterranean, DASH, Planet, there’s no difference in reducing sources of added sugar, reducing sources of solid fats like saturated fats, trans fats in coconut oil and animal sources. Difference,” Wadivelu pointed out.
She emphasizes that the best way to stay healthy is to add more whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables, to your diet; this is consistent with all three health models. Additionally, limiting the consumption of ultra-processed foods is highly recommended.
“We can say that the vast majority of ultra-processed foods are high in added sugars, refined grains, saturated fats, and each of these patterns represents a restriction,” Wadivelu said.
“Make your eating pattern rich in whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds (and) legumes.”
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